Antifriction-bearing for armature-shafts.



PATENTED FEB. 14, 1905. I v I. G. WARD & 0. R. BUGHHEIT. ANTIPRIOTIONBEARING FOR ARMATURE SHAFTS.

APPLICATION FIL'ED MAR. 26, 1904.

Witnesss Httornegs UNITED STATES Patented February 14, 1905.

PATENT OFF CE.

FREDERICK'G. WARD AND CHARLES R. BUGHHEIT, or PITTSBURG,

PENNSYLVANIA.

ANTIFRICTION-BEARING FOR ARMATURE-SHAFTS.

SPECIFICATION forming. part of Letters Patent No. 782,474, datedFebruary 14,1905. Application filed March 26, 1904:- Serial No.200,2l5.

To all whom zit may concern.-

Be it known that we, FREDERTOK Gr. WARD and CHARLES R. BUCHHEIT,citizens of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulAntifriction-Bearing for Armature-Shafts, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to journal-bearings, and has for its object toprovide an improved antifrictionbearing particularly designed for thearmature shafts of electric motors for street-car service.

It is furthermore designed to provide for convenience in assembling thebearing in order that it may be readily applied and removed.

Another object is to obtain a maximum hearing length upon the shaft witha minimum frictional surface on the bearing of each antifriction-roller.I

, A still further object is to have the outer end of the bearing snuglyfit the gear-case, so as to exclude dust therefrom, without employing anadditional dust-guar With these and other objects in view the presentinvention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as willbe hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings,and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understoodthat changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may bemade within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view taken througha bearing embodying the features of the present invention. Fig. 2 is across-sectional view thereof on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is adetail View of one of the spacing and bearing rings for theantifriction-rollers.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in each andevery figure of the drawings.

For an adequate understanding of the present invention in itsapplication to electric motors for street-railway service we have shownin the accompanying drawings a portion 1 of an armature inclosed withinthe usual shell 2 and havingits shaft or journal 3 projected through thebearing-seat 4 of the shell. As is usual, the outer extremity of theshaft is projected into the gear-case 5 and is provided with a pinion 6,meshing with the gear 7, which is carried by the axle of the car. Theparts just described are common and are now in general use, and as theyform no part of the present invention they may be considerably variedwithout eifecting the operation of the present bearing.

I In carrying out this invention there is provided an open-endedcylindrical sleeve or shell 8, whichis internally smooth and isexternally screw-threaded at its opposite ends and is designed to fitsnugly within the bearing-seat 4 of the armature shell or casing, withits screwthreaded end portions projected at the end portions of theseat. Upon the inner end of the shell or sleeve 8 and between the latterand the armature is a circular cap 9, which is internallyscrew-threaded, so as to be fitted to the inner screw-threaded end ofthe bearing-shell, and between the screw-threaded part and the back ofthe cap there is an inner enlarged annular channel 10, which isunthreaded and smooth. The back of the cap is provided with a reducedopening 11 to rotatably receive the inner end portion of the armatureshaft or journal. At the outer end of the bearing shell or sleeve isanother cap, 12, similar to the inner cap and provided with the innerannular channel 13, corresponding to the channel 10 of the inner cap. Inaddition the outer cap is provided with an external annular flange 14,which projects into the opening 15 in the adjacent side of the gearcase5, so as to close the annular space between the armature-shaft and thewalls of the opening 5, whereby an additional dust-guard is obviated.Within the inner-annular channel of eachcap is a spacer-ring 16, whichis entirely independent of the-bearing shell or sleeve 8 and is fittedbetween the adjacent end of the latter and the back of the cap. Thisring is capable of rotation within the channel and is provided with acircumferential series of openings 17, preferably polygonal in shape andintersecting the inner edge of the ring, that portion of each openingwhich intersects the inner edge of the ring being contracted.

Interposed in the annular space between the armature-shaft and bearingshell or sleeve is an annular series of antifriction-rollers 18, eachroller being of uniform diameter throughout its entire length, with itsends projected at each end of the bearing-shell and rotatably seated inthe corresponding openings or bearing-seats 17 of the rings 16, wherebythe rollers are maintained in spaced relation and are capable ofrotating upon their axes independently of one another. It will here benoted that an extreme bearing length is obtained by projecting theantifriction-rollers at opposite ends of the bearing shell or sleeve andby mounting the ends of the rollers in polygonal bearing-seats ratherthan in circular seats the .points of contact between the rollers andthe spacer-rings are reduced to a minimum, and friction is therebycorrespondingly reduced. The purpose of reducing each bearing-opening 17where it intersects the inner edge of the ring is to present shoulders19 for engagement with the antifriction-rollers to prevent lateraldisplacement thereof from the bearing seats or openings. Moreover, it ispreferred to have the bearing seats or openings intersect the innerperipheral edge of the rings rather than to terminate short thereof, asthe omission of material at this point reduces the bearing-surface.Another advantage of polygonal bearing seats or openings over circularseats resides in the fact that the lubricating material can more readilyhave access to the frictional surfaces of the bearings. In addition topreventing the antifriction-rollers from working out of the bearings orseats 17 when the entire device is set in place the contracted portionsof said bearings also prevent accidental displacement of the rollerswhen assembling the bearing, and thereby aids materially in the settingup of the bearing.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that the bearing of thepresent invention is entirely complete in itself and may be fitted inplace without any alteration whatsoever in the shell for the motor andthe gearcas'e. Moreover, when fitted in place it closes the opening inthe gear-case through which the extremity of the armature-shaftprojects, and thereby acts as a dust-guard at this point. By projectingthe antifriction-rollers beyond the ends of the bearing shell or sleevea much longer bearing is produced than is usually afforded by thebearing-seat 4, whereby the armature-shaft is materially braced againsttwisting strains applied thereto by the pinion 6 when starting themotorand when running with a heavy load.

A very important feature of this invention will be appreciated byreference to Fig. 1 of 12 is of a diameter less than that of theexternal diameter of the bearing shell or sleeve 8, and as each of theantifriction-rollers 18 is of uniform diameter from end to end andwithout external shoulders it is free to work endwise through theopenings or seats 17 in the spacer-rings 16, wherefore end thrust is notapplied to the spacer-rings, but is received by the backs of the caps 9and 12. By this arrangement of parts the spacer-rings may becomparatively light, as there is no danger of breakage thereof by endthrusts.

Having thus described the construction and operation of our invention,what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. The combination with a motor-shell having a bearing-seat, agear-case, and an armature-shaft projected through the bearing-seat andinto the gear-case, of a bearing-sleeve fitted within and projectedbeyond the ends of the bearing-seat and loosely embracing thearmature-shaft, caps fitted to the projected ends of the bearing-sleeveand engaging the seat, the outer cap having an annular flange fittingwithin and closing the opening in the gearcase through which thearmature-shaft passes, antifriction-rollers within the shell andprojected into the caps, and spacer-rings fitted within the caps andhaving bearing-openings for the respective rollers.

2. The combination with amotor-shell having a bearing-seat, and anarmature-shaft projected through the seat, of a bearing-sleeve tittedwithin the seat and projected at opposite ends thereof, caps fitted tothe ends of the sleeve and bearing against the ends of the seat to holdthe sleeve in position, antifrictionrollers within the sleeve andprojected into 1 the caps, and spacer-rings fitted within the caps andprovided with openings receiving the respective rollers.

3. A bearing of the class described compris ing an open-ended sleeve,caps embracing the ends of the sleeve and projected beyond the same,each cap having an internal annular channel located outwardly from theadjacent end of the sleeve, spacer-rings carried within the channels,and antifriction-rollers having their ends journaled upon the rings.

4:. A hearing of the class described comprising an open-ended sleevewhich is externally screw-threaded at opposite ends, threaded capsembracing the screw-threaded ends of the sleeve and provided with innerannular channels located between their screw-threaded portions and theirbacks, spacer-rings fitted within the channels, and antifriction-rollershaving their ends journaled upon the spacerrings.

5. A bearing of the class described having spacer-rings provided withpolygonal bearingopenings, and antifriction-rollers journaled in saidpolygonal bearing-openings.

6. A bearing of the class described having spacer-rings provided withpolygonal bearingopenings intersecting the inner peripheral edges of therings, and antifriction-rollers journaled in said polygonalbearing-openings.

7. A bearing of the class described having spacer-rings provided withbearing-openings intersecting the inner peripheral edges thereof, thatportion of each opening which intersects the inner edge of the ringbeing contracted, and antifriction-rollers journaled in thebearing-openings, the walls of the contracted portions of the openingsoperating to prevent lateral displacement of the rollers.

8. A bearing of the class described having spacer-rings provided withpolygonal bearingopenings intersecting the inner peripheral edgesthereof, that portion of each bearingopening which intersects the inneredge of the ring being contracted, and antifriction-rollers journaled insaid openings, the walls of the contracted portions of the openingsconstitut ing means to prevent lateral displacement of the rollers.

9. A bearing of the class describedcomprising an open-ended cylindricalsleeve which isexternally screw-threaded atopposite ends,internally-screw-threaded caps embracing the screw-threaded ends of thesleeve and provided with internal annular channels located between thebacks of the caps and the respective ends of the sleeve, spacer-ringsfitted within the channels and provided with polygonal bearing-openingsintersecting the inner edges of the rings, that portion of each openingwhich intersects the inner edge of the ring being contracted, andantifriction-rollers within the sleeve with their ends projected 10. Abearing of the class described comprising an open-ended sleeve, and capsfitted to the ends of the sleeve and provided with correspondingopenings for the reception of a shaft, one of the caps having anexternal annular flange surrounding the opening therein.

11. A hearing of the class described comprising an open-ended sleeve,caps fitted to the ends of the sleeves and provided with correspondingshaft-receiving openings,' each of which openings is of a diameter lessthan that of the external diameter of the sleeve, spacerrings locatedbetween the ends of the sleeve and the backs of the respective caps andprovided with bearing-openings extending entirely through the rings, andantifriction-rollers journaled in corresponding openings of the rings,and free to move endwise therethrough, the backs of the caps lying inthe path of the endwise movements'of the antifriction-rollers andconstituting stops to receive the end thrusts of the rollers.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have heretoafiixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK G. WARD. CHARLES R. BUCHHEIT.

Witnesses:

JAMES G. DUNBAR, STELLA R. BRILHART.

